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Monday, June 20, 2016

Gluten-free Steel Cut Oats Lactation Cookies

Two days ago, my little guy hit the 3 month mark. He is exclusively breastfed, and up until this point I had a huge oversupply, so I froze any milk that I pumped after feedings for donating and future use.

While I have an ample supply of milk for my little one, my pumping output was decreasing and my goal was to express enough to gift some of my "liquid gold" to multiple families...so I decided to venture into the lactation cookie arena in hopes to boost my supply a little.

When I searched online for the "perfect" lactation cookie recipe, I could not find one that fit my exact needs. Some contained fenugreek, which can be hard on the stomach and not effective unless you are consuming at least 1,160 mg of fenugreek 3x per day (I have read higher recommendations as well) in order to see a boost in supply. So any cookie recipe that I had found, did not contain nearly enough fenugreek.

Additionally, I wanted a recipe that was low in sugar and carbs (as I am trying to eat healthier, and I have not been exercising all that much...which I am working on correcting soon!), so I combined (and actually taste-tested myself!) my favorite recipes into one and includes 3 non-fenugreek galactagogues (substances that improves lactation): oats, flax, and brewers yeast.

This recipe yields about 24 cookies depending on how large or small you want to make them.Ingredients :

2 tablespoons flax seed
4 tablespoons water
1/2 cup butter or coconut oil (if you cannot use either of these for dietary reasons, I recommend Spectrum Organic Vegetable Shortening)
1/3 cup molasses (if you do not have this ingredient on hand, you can substitute with more butter or coconut oil)
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1 - 1 1/2 cup stevia powder (you can use raw sugar if you prefer)
2 eggs (can't do eggs? Click here for substitutions)
1 cup almond flour, coconut flour, or a mixture of both*
1 cup flax meal
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea or pink himalayan salt
3-4 tablespoons brewer's yeast
3 cups steel cut oats (to ensure that the cookie is truly gluten-free, use any of these that are labeled as such in order to avoid a product that has been cross-contaminated)
1/2 cup sliced almonds **
3/4 cups dark chocolate chips **

* If you do not need or want a gluten-free cookie, you can substitute the cup of almond/coconut flours with whole wheat.
** Other add-ins to replace almonds & chocolate chips : raisins, other dried fruit, shredded coconut, pumpkin seeds, nuts, or 2 tsp of cinnamon.

Directions :

Preheat oven to 350. Add the flax seed to the water in a small bowl and set aside for 3-5 minutes. Mix the butter, molasses, vanilla, and stevia together in a mixer at medium speed (or you can choose to do it by hand). Add eggs one at a time and be sure not to over mix. Stir in flax seed with a rubber spatula.

Add both mixes together, add steel cut oats, and stir in any other choice ingredients one at a time. The mixture will be sticky, so you can use a 1/4 cup measuring cup and spoon to help form the cookies (or you can mold them into a ball shape for a chewy center). Place on a lightly greased baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes (12 minutes if you want a crunchy cookie).

The verdict :

I have now eaten my last 2 cookies from the last batch and from eating two cookies per day (one at breakfast time and one during mid day), I can pump between 3-5 oz of milk per breast vs 1-2 oz after feeding my 3 month old. Do not make the mistake that I did and eat one of these cookies in the evening before bedtime. My little now sleeps a 5 hour stretch and I woke up in pain and a soaked bra...

Do you have a favorite lactation cookie recipe or other suggestions for cookie add-ins? Feel free to post below!

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About Me

Alanna is a stay-at-home-mom of three little boys. Addicted to fluff, and all other things "green"...and yes, this does apply to food too ! Want to contact me? E-mail me at leettlehandsandfeet (at) gmail (dot) com